Uni days.
I live in a university town.
There are times I hate it - like when one of the students next-door-but-one came home in the early hours after a night out and literally smashed the front door in 'cos he forgot his keys...or the piles of vomit in the town centre which mark the progress of a pub crawl...or the piles of rubbish which are dumped outside front doors at the end of the academic year.
There are times when I think it's great - as a guider I often benefited from new leaders, courtesy of ScoGui...when I'm watching the rag parade in October...and the sheer energy and variety of young people discovering real life and the town's market for the first time.
This year, I know several young folk who are Freshers - Laura (my illustrator), Ed, my nephew, Suze - and there are quite a few more who are looking to go to uni next year.
It made me reminisce about my own first year at uni - well, polytechnic as it was then - and I decided to write a few memories, in the style of Joe Brainard (used by Andrew Wille in the four elements of Creativity). Hope you don't mind me indulging...
I remember '2B or not 2B - that is the kitchen.'
I remember four piglets.
I remember my first pint of cloudy, flat Scrumpy at The Feathers.
I remember being scared of the football fans pouring through the underpass to get to the Molineux Stadium and watching them from the kitchen window.
I remember not thinking at all about how Mum and Dad must've felt, leaving me there.
I remember the black, red and yellow patchowrk duvet cover that I'd not long finished making being put on the bed: to make it feel like home.
I remember going to the Rocky Horror Show at the Grand Theatre and having to buy suspenders and stockings for the lads.
I remember being paranoid about avoiding an overdraft.
I remember thinking 'I don't need to buy all these text books'...until my first module's results came through.
I remember sobbing when my Grandpa died.
I remember making friends who are still friends.
I remember making friends with folk I've lost touch with and wondering now what they're up to.
I remember some friends who are no longer with us.
I remember eating steak and kidney pie with rice, because I was too lazy to peel potatoes.
I remember Norma, our wonderful Brummy cleaner.
I remember the wolf on my t-shirt for Wolves Poly.
I remember the four seasons postcards I picked up from a poster sale.
I remember singing along to the Eurythmics, with each of us taking a different harmony line.
I remember looking forward to a visitor from Newcastle every three weeks.
I remember...
Feel free to add your own 'I remembers'...
There are times I hate it - like when one of the students next-door-but-one came home in the early hours after a night out and literally smashed the front door in 'cos he forgot his keys...or the piles of vomit in the town centre which mark the progress of a pub crawl...or the piles of rubbish which are dumped outside front doors at the end of the academic year.
There are times when I think it's great - as a guider I often benefited from new leaders, courtesy of ScoGui...when I'm watching the rag parade in October...and the sheer energy and variety of young people discovering real life and the town's market for the first time.
This year, I know several young folk who are Freshers - Laura (my illustrator), Ed, my nephew, Suze - and there are quite a few more who are looking to go to uni next year.
It made me reminisce about my own first year at uni - well, polytechnic as it was then - and I decided to write a few memories, in the style of Joe Brainard (used by Andrew Wille in the four elements of Creativity). Hope you don't mind me indulging...
I remember '2B or not 2B - that is the kitchen.'
I remember four piglets.
I remember my first pint of cloudy, flat Scrumpy at The Feathers.
I remember being scared of the football fans pouring through the underpass to get to the Molineux Stadium and watching them from the kitchen window.
I remember not thinking at all about how Mum and Dad must've felt, leaving me there.
I remember the black, red and yellow patchowrk duvet cover that I'd not long finished making being put on the bed: to make it feel like home.
I remember going to the Rocky Horror Show at the Grand Theatre and having to buy suspenders and stockings for the lads.
I remember being paranoid about avoiding an overdraft.
I remember thinking 'I don't need to buy all these text books'...until my first module's results came through.
I remember sobbing when my Grandpa died.
I remember making friends who are still friends.
I remember making friends with folk I've lost touch with and wondering now what they're up to.
I remember some friends who are no longer with us.
I remember eating steak and kidney pie with rice, because I was too lazy to peel potatoes.
I remember Norma, our wonderful Brummy cleaner.
I remember the wolf on my t-shirt for Wolves Poly.
I remember the four seasons postcards I picked up from a poster sale.
I remember singing along to the Eurythmics, with each of us taking a different harmony line.
I remember looking forward to a visitor from Newcastle every three weeks.
I remember...
Feel free to add your own 'I remembers'...